A new unit for young people with mental health difficulties opens this month - marking the start of a £13.8m redevelopment of a Middlesbrough hospital.

The Westwood Centre, at West Lane Hospital on Acklam Road, replaces the old building on the same site.

The new centre offers a safe, low secure environment for those aged 12 to 18 and will be used by young people from across the country. It will allow them to be assessed and treated for a range of complex mental health needs.

Jackie Ennis, head of children and young people’s services at the Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospital, said: “The Westwood Centre has always prided itself on being a safe, comfortable place where we can work with young people and their families to help them return to their everyday lives.

“The new facilities at the centre are fantastic and will help us engage even more with the young people who come to us.”

The Westwood Centre offers 24-hour support, seven days a week, to young people who may have been involved with police or present a significant risk to themselves or others, require a low secure environment and need to be legally detained under the Mental Health Act.

The Westwood Centre will offer a range of treatments and therapies and will have two en-suite bedrooms, education rooms, a music room, a gym and sports facilities as well as family visiting areas. All of these features have been designed to help youngsters recover as quickly as possible.

One youngster, who has used the service, said: “When I came to the Westwood Centre I felt really frightened because it was a locked unit but being here has really helped me.

“I think the new music room is awesome and the visiting rooms are pretty cool as they have sofas and a TV which makes visits from friends and family more fun.”